Our experiences and how we view them shape our lives for better or worse. The guest for this episode shares how his perspective and perseverance has led him to where he is now. Meet Mr. Johnnie Geathers:

Johnnie Geathers, MSW is an individual that loves helping others. Johnnie received his Bachelors in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University and his Masters in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a Mental Health Therapist for Familylinks, Inc. under the Therapeutic Classroom model. In his position, Johnnie works with children in Pittsburgh Carmalt PreK-8 where the kids range from 1st to 3rd grade. Within the agency, he makes sure that he connects with the school staff and the families to make sure that the child’s needs are met to be able to transition back into the mainstream classroom setting or more levels of care. Johnnie received the Above and Beyond the Call of Duty honors back to back in 2019 and 2020 for the work he does for Familylinks. Outside of his career, he does a lot of community work for his fraternity, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. In his fraternity, he holds three positions where he is the Community Service chair for the Beta Omicron Omega Alumni chapter in Pittsburgh, the Director of Community Service for the Atlantic Coast Region and the National Coordinator for Much More Than A Hashtag, an initiative that he helped co-founded to educate the community on Voter Registration, Citizen Review Board, Jury Selection, Home Ownership and Property Taxes. He does monthly Mental Health memoirs for his church, The Church of Christian Compassion in Philadelphia, PA. On April 3, 2020, he launched JG Mental Health Fridays on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn). JG Mental Health Fridays are videos where he addresses mental health topics and provide coping strategies that everyone can use to maintain stability. Johnnie received numerous honors from his contributions to the social work & mental health field and his fraternity. Some of his honors are the 2017 Who’s Next Community Leaders & Activists Award from The Incline, Unsung Hero Award & Social Work Appreciation of Greatness Award from Vitamin C Healing LLC., and 2020 Pitt School of Social Work Rising Star Alumni Award. Johnnie finds a way to stay in touch and involved in the community any way possible.